My first handmade swap was so fun! I was soooo nervous about making something for someone else and wanting them to like it sooooo much! I don't know if she likes it yet- I'll be mailing it soon, but the experience for me was a great one. And I love the bag! I am so going to make one similar for me!
I knew the person loved bright happy colors, so I went with tangerine and aqua- I mean, really, how can you not love those colors together!?! Makes ya smile just to see it! I pieced the back with 2.5" squares and a few rectangles too in a fun pattern. Love the look!
The handle is two tone- aqua on one side and tangerine on the other. But my favorite part HAS to be the embroidery!!!!!! I am a sucker for embroidery and especially original designs. When I found out my partner likes it too, well that was all it took to figure out the perfect thing for her! I wound up going with a simple crown outline I found and then giving it my own spin to make it mine. I think we all like crowns :) At least I do :). I added some sewing "jewels" to the crown of scissors, a needle, and a spool of thread. There is even a ruler at the bottom of the crown. I really like how it turned out! Like I said, my favorite part of the bag! And I off-centered the embroidery to give the bag a wonky, more fun personality!
The inside: well, you must have a cell phone pocket or it wouldn't be good :) hehe! So there is a happy aqua pocket, right there ready for a cell phone!
And a magnetic snap- WOW! My first one ever, and now I am hooked! They are so stinkin' easy and so perfect for a bag! They will be my new go-to item of choice :). Love it!
So there ya have it- my embroidered bag, all ready to go! I am so anxious to hear how my partner likes it. I stressed over it so much and really hope it makes her smile :)
I love it so much that I am sharing this over at Celebrate Color too :) What a beautiful and functional way to celebrate :)!! Hip, hip, hurray! :)
Then here is the green fabric for the quilt along over with Angela at http://cuttopieces.blogspot.com/! I'm doing a boy version of the zig zag quilt and had a request for shades of green, so here they are! Now the tough part is deciding if I dare put it on a white background or a soft green Kona shade. Hmmmm, any opinions???
Then for the Pickles quilt I am making from the lovely tutorial from http://fiestyeily.blogspot.com/, I had a request for wild, fun colors! I asked the lovely ladies at http://www.etsy.com/sewfreshfabrics to make me an "unafriad of color" bundle, but with less flowers. They were so wonderful to create this group, just perfect and so happy too :)!!
For the We can do it Sampler quilt at http://sewnbyleila.blogspot.com/, I am going to make an all-pink version- so excited about this! One block a month is completely do-able! Nice steady pace :) So here are my pinks- all ready to go -- yummy!
Then, for the quilt along with Jeni at http://incolororder.blogspot.com/, we are doing a warm/cool value quilt. On my list of "To make" quilts is an orange/aqua quilt, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity! I love some pictures I've seen on Flickr of orange and aqua value blocks, so this will be fun to see a whole quilt like that :)
These two fabrics are both favorites- the trains becuase trains have always been big at my house, and the campers are just perfect! We love camping and these cuties fit right in! I could buy a bolt of these :)
So now, cutting will keep me busy for a year! :) hehe! I have to seriously get busy on cutting to keep up with all my groups- off to Joanns to get a new rotary blade :) 
And lastly, I was so excited last Wednesday to quilt my Bottled Rainbows quilt. I had thought and thought about it and decided that loops would be a fatastic contrast to the "square-ness" of the blocks. Well, I got about a tenth of the way through and looked at it- it did NOT look good to me- I didn't like the contrast and it made me feel yucky inside. Oh dear! So I turned off the machine and grabbed my lovely seam ripper. I have picked for over 6 hours and have about 1/3 to go- oh dear!! I do not like it when I oops, especially on such a beloved quilt. But it will be the way that looks best by the time it's done- at least it's fixable, right?! :) Oh well, I'll get some more blisters and hopefully have it done by THIS weekend! HA! 
